Video: Bad economy brings kids back to state schools

Business is booming at state universities and community colleges, as students and their families look for alternatives to pricey private schools.

Sue Scheible

Business is booming at state universities and community colleges, as students and their families look for alternatives to pricey private schools.

One year at the state’s flagship public school, UMass-Amherst, including room and board, costs $18,346. Most private schools in Greater Boston charge between $40,00 to $50,000 a year.

“I’ve seen a lot of students get accepted to private colleges, including the very top ones, but they don’t get the financial aid packages they need,” said Joanne Foley, the head of the guidance department at Randolph High School. “We try to connect them to state schools because they can get a very good education there.”

Applications and enrollments have been building at state schools for several years, and this fall, the growth and competition intensified. Massasoit Community College in Brockton had the largest increase in its enrollment in 10 years.

“The student loan market dried up and the cost of private and even some public schools reached the point where students didn’t have the money,” said spokesman Dick Cronin. “We’re much less costly than a four-year school.”

State schools are taking steps to accommodate the larger numbers. Massasoit now offers classes on Sundays so that students can fit in science and math courses required for their degrees. The school’s enrollment this year is 7,394, the highest in its 42-year history.

Bridgewater State College’s enrollment has been growing so much during the past year that next year’s freshman class will be capped at this year’s size – 1,500 students.

“We are at capacity,” said Greg Meyer, director of admissions. “We can’t take on a larger freshman class.”

UMass-Boston expects to meet its three-year enrollment goal of 15,000 students by fall of 2009, a year earlier than planned.

Shadi Al Hindi, 20, of Brockton, chose Massasoit both because of the cost and the courses. A Massachusetts resident commuting to Massasoit pays $2,808 a year for a full course load.

He said the community college offers the same education he might get at pricier schools, including UMass-Boston, but for far less.

Plus, he said, community colleges also offer “a good start to the college lifestyle.”

One strategy cash-strapped students employ is to commute to a two-year school, get top grades and win a scholarship to a four-year school, Foley said.

The state’s four-year public colleges are also building on their appeal. Applications to UMass-Amherst have risen from 16,427 in 2003 to 28,931 this fall. And the criteria for admission has gotten more competitive. The high school ranking of incoming students is steadily improving.

“Certainly, we have been seeing an increase in families who said that due to the uncertainty of the economy, they are taking a look at public education, where they wouldn’t have done so previously,” said Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor for enrollment management at UMass-Boston. Applications there are up 22 percent over last fall.

One reason, said UMass spokesman Edward F. Blaguszewski, is “the value for the money.”

Cost of college

Here’s what some local colleges charge a year in tuition and fees, excluding room and board, which can add $10,000 to $15,000 more.

Public

$2,808 in-state students at Massasoit Community College

$6,033 in-state students at Bridgewater State

$10,232 in-state students at UMass-Amherst

Private

$27,540 Curry College

$36,173 Harvard

$36,540 Boston University

Sources: Colleges and universities. Does not include room and board.

Applications soar

Applications to the state's flagship public university in Amherst have risen more than 61 percent in the past five years, spiking nearly 30 percent in the past two.

Fall 2003: 16,427

Fall 2004: 17,930

Fall 2005: 20,207

Fall 2006: 22,451

Fall 2007: 27,138

Fall 2008: 28,931

Source: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

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